Back pain is very common and causes a great deal of suffering, however it is rare for the pain to be assosciated with permanent or serious damage.

A great deal of research has been put into this area over the last few years and the way we deal with back pain has changed considerably. You might already have experienced this with the way your GP “treats” you.
An attack of back pain can be very frightening, even a minor strain can be very painful and it is natural to think that something serious might have happened, however it has been shown that there are lots of things that you can do to help yourself.

What you do about back pain yourself is actually more important than the exact diagnosis or treatment. With acute back pain, rest for more than a day or two usually does not help and may actually prolong pain and disability. Your back is designed for movement, the sooner you get it moving the sooner you will feel better.
The acute pain usually improves within days or a few weeks, the long term outlook is good.

Your spine is one of the strongest parts of the body, it is made of strong bony blocks joined by discs to give it strength and flexibility. It is reinforced by strong ligaments and surrounded by large powerful muscles that protect it. Most simple back strains do not cause any lasting damage.

Most back pain comes from a simple strain to the “working” parts of your back, for example a ligament, muscle or small joint. Ideally, you start to move correctly to get the part working properly again which, stimulates the body’s natural ability to recover. It is when we compensate and move abnormally that a vicious circle starts resulting in chronic pain and dysfunction.

Rest or stay active?

If you rest for too long when you are in pain you feel stiff, the muscles get weaker, you lose general fitness and feel down, this is turn can make the pain feel worse and therefore it is harder to get going again. It really is “use it or lose it”!
The advice now is to keep going and rest for short periods only.
Your whole body must keep active to stay healthy, with activity the body releases natural chemicals which reduce the pain.

Activities that are good for you include walking, swimming, the exercises bike, dance, pilates, yoga, and most everyday activites and hobbies.
Different things suit different people, try out and decide what is best for you. Your goal is to get moving and increase your level of activity.

It goes without saying that if you suffer from recurrent episodes of back pain, then the interval between exacebations is a great time to try and avoid a future onset of pain.

It is worth while having an assessment to determine the probable reasons for your back to be prone to problems. For example restricted range of movement and specific weakness of muscles – in particular the core.
These are all areas that can be worked on with a specific exercises programme or by joining in one of our beginners Pilates sessions, which is tailored to suit people who do not feel confident to start an exercise programme without being supervised by a Physiotherapist who has knowledge of the factors that will benefit or cause harm to their back.

So if you suffer from episodes of back pain or are currently struggling with back pain then please feel free to contact me if I can offer any further advice or information. All of the advice that I have written above can be found in “The Back Book” which you can obtain from your GP. So take control,

“The sooner you get active – the sooner your back will feel better”